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Beijing is rejecting the call of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for an official meeting, saying the Japanese leader himself closed the door on a dialogue when he refused to listen to calls for him not to visit the controversial Yasukuni Shrine.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying described Abe's request for an official meeting with China's leaders as hypocritical and is not really meant to improve relations with China. In a press conference, Abe said he wants to hold official meetings with the leaders of China and South Korea to ensure that peace and security in the region will remain. Experts and analysts, however, said Abe was just playing with words to justify his controverial visit to the Yasukuni Shrine.
"He claimed to improve relations with China through the meeting but his words are hypocritical. It was Abe who shut down the door on a dialogue," said Hua. Abe was criticized by China and South Korea after he visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine. The shrine symbolizes Japan's past militarism and the visit triggered protests from the two countries and disappointed the United States.
Abe said he wants to meet the leaders of both China and South Korea to explain his side on why he visited the shrine despite protests. South Korea has also denied Abe's request for an official meeting. President Park Geun-hye said Japan made decisions that strained its ties with South Korea.
China Institute of International Studies President Qu Xing said the Chinese government's refusal to heed the request of Abe should send a clear and strong message to the Japanese leader: that Beijing is very serious on its stand on ruling out a leaders' meeting.
In Japan, the leader of the New Komeito Party, which is an ally with Abe's coalition, joined in the international community's expression of displeasure at the Japanese Prime Minister's behavior.
